Although the liquid consuming apparatus means general apparatuses which consume the liquid supplied from a predetermined part at the time of operation, a liquid ejection apparatus which ejects droplets from an ejection head can be exemplified as a representative example of the liquid consuming apparatus. In addition, the liquid ejection apparatus is not limited to recording apparatuses, such as an ink jet recording apparatus, a copying machine, and a facsimile, which eject ink from a recording head as a liquid ejection head to recording material, such as a recording paper, and performs recording to the recording material, but is meant to include apparatuses which ejects a liquid corresponding to a specific application to a material to be ejected equivalent to the recording material from a liquid ejection head equivalent to the above-mentioned recording head, thereby adhering the liquid to the material to be ejected.
Further, in addition to the recording head mentioned above, the liquid ejection head include, for example, a color material ejection head used to manufacture color filters of a liquid crystal display, etc., an electrode material (conductive paste) ejection head used to form electrodes of an organic electroluminescent (EL) display, a field emitting display (FED), etc., a living organic material ejection head used to manufacture biochips, and a sample ejection head as a precision pipette which ejects samples.
Hereafter, a description will be made taking an ink jet printer as an example of the ink jet recording apparatus or the liquid ejection apparatus.
In a case in which the ink jet printer is loaded with an ink cartridge (liquid cartridge), a relatively large push-in force is needed. In this case, when an ink cartridge is prepared for every color, a push-in force of about 4.9 to 6.9 N is sufficient. However, in a case where an integral single-package-type ink cartridge is prepared for a plurality of colors, for example, the plurality of colors are, for example, six, seven needles are provided in the ink cartridge. Therefore, a very large push-in force of 34.3 to 48.3 N is needed. The loading of an ink cartridge by such a large push-in force is possible somehow or other when the ink cartridge is loaded in the vertical direction. However, when an ink cartridge is allowed to be slid and loaded in the horizontal direction, an excessive force is also applied the ink jet printer and therefore the loading of the ink cartridge is practically impossible.
JP-H11-157094-A discloses a loading/unloading device of an ink cartridge (loading/unloading device of a liquid cartridge) capable of obtaining a large push-in force using the principle of the lever. That is, the rotational motion of a cartridge loading/unloading lever is transmitted to a link plate, thereby enabling unlocking of a linking lever and loading of the ink cartridge to a holder.
However, this loading/unloading device was developed for the purpose of loading of the ink cartridge for every color, and does not has a large push-in force which can respond to an integral single-package-type ink cartridge for a plurality of colors. Further, providing the cartridge loading/unloading lever and the link plate to the ink cartridge for every color leads to an increase in the number of parts which causes an increase in the cost of parts.
Further, the ink cartridge receives a force that will put back the ink cartridge from a flow passage member connected therewith during loading and after loading. Accordingly, the ink cartridge has to be loaded with a push-in force exceeding this force and this state has to be maintained, otherwise a gap may be provided between the ink cartridge and the flow passage member. As a result, contacts respectively provided at the ink cartridge and the flow passage member will deviate one from the other, which makes it impossible to detect the residual amount of ink, etc.
Further, positional deviation of the contacts is caused by variation in the dimensional tolerances of parts. However, the construction which ensures such a large push-in force and ensures a tight contact state is not disclosed in JP-H11-157094-A.
Further, EP-1547785-A discloses a loading/unloading device (cartridge loading/unloading device) 500 for a flat shape ink cartridge 508 as shown in FIG. 18, which loads the ink cartridge 508 with both right and left sides of the ink cartridge 508 latched.
First, if the ink cartridge 508 is inserted in the direction of the arrow, latch projections 555a of the cartridge holding means 555 moves toward the ink cartridge to be engaged with recesses 508a formed in the ink cartridge 508.
Next, the ink cartridge 508 is pushed in by the rotational operation of a lever arm (not shown) by a predetermined stroke. With this engagement, ink supply needles 502 formed in a flow passage unit 501 is pushed into needle insertion openings 508b of the ink cartridge 508, thereby completing loading of the ink cartridge 508.
However, in the loading/unloading device 500, in order to insert the ink cartridge 508 smoothly, an opening (ink cartridge insertion opening) of the loading/unloading device 500 into which the ink cartridge 508 is inserted is required to be slightly larger than the dimension of the ink cartridge 508.
Therefore, there is a possibility that the ink cartridge 508 may be inserted in a skew state, and loaded with only one side thereof latched. In other words, erroneous loading caused by so-called erroneous insertion may be caused. Accordingly, when an ink needle is not normally stuck into the cartridge, there is a possibility that ink leakage may be caused from that part.